Birthday Girl
by katdvs
Summary: "But Mommy," Hope sat up, taking her mother's face between her hands, squeezing it together so her lips formed a fishy face. "Christmas is my birthday." Day 3 of 24 Days of Fanfics


_Author Note: I got several requests for this one. I hope you enjoy._

* * *

 **Birthday Girl**

"Mommy, you know what I love?"

Riley tucked her daughter into the bed, "What's that Hope?"

"That we get to decorate a tree for my birthday, and that everyone else does as well."

"Honey, we decorate the tree for Christmas, and so do other people."

"But Mommy," Hope sat up, taking her mother's face between her hands, squeezing it together so her lips formed a fishy face. "Christmas is **my** birthday."

Riley removed Hope's hands from her face, "Sweetie, your birthday is the same day as Christmas, but Christmas isn't a holiday for your birthday."

"But Santa brings me birthday presents."

"No sweetie, he brings you one Christmas present."

Hope shook her head as she snuggled back under her quilt, "Silly Mommy, good night."

Riley stared at her daughter for a moment before she rose from the bed, and went out of the room. Lucas joined her in the hallway from putting their son to bed, "What's wrong?"

Riley was silent, still processing her thoughts as she went to the kitchen, quietly fixing two mugs of hot chocolate when she took out a bottle of butterscotch schnapps and poured a _healthy_ amount in and then did the same to the next.

"Riley, what happened when you put Hope to bed?"

She grabbed a can of whipped cream from the fridge, covering each before she handed one to Lucas and took a long sip of hers before finally answering, "Hope believes that Christmas is her birthday, that everyone celebrates her that day."

Lucas blinked several times before he took a long sip of his own drink, not caring about the whipped cream that ended up on his nose. "I know we're not perfect, but we do Christmas in the morning, and we have that big family dinner…and Hope's birthday that night."

"I know" Riley sighed, "But she thinks it's all for her birthday."

Lucas sat on the island stool, thinking for a moment, "We could do Christmas stuff on Christmas Eve, then on the day just her birthday."

"Is that fair to the rest of the kids though?"

"No, it really isn't." Lucas sighed. "Maybe she's just teasing you."

Riley shook her head, and then mimicked what Hope had done earlier, "She seriously believes that Christmas is just about her."

"So, we have to figure out how to explain that Christmas is one celebration, and her birthday is another."

"Exactly, and Lucas, I just don't know."

"We still have a few weeks, we'll figure this out." His words were shaky as for now he couldn't grasp how this would work.

"I hope so."

* * *

Lucas carried several pads of paper, and a cup full of pens over to the kitchen island, "Okay kids, it's time to write to Santa!"

Hope climbed up to her favorite seat, "Daddy, why is everyone writing to Santa?"

He knew this question had been coming, it still hadn't made it easier, "Well Sweetie, Santa brings all the good boys and girls presents."

"On their birthdays?" Hope leaned in close to her father, "Was Peyton naughty, is that why Santa didn't bring him birthday presents?"

Lucas picked his daughter up, sitting her on the island top, "Santa doesn't bring presents for birthday's. He brings them for Christmas. You see we all have a birthday, Peyton's is in November, Mommy's is in early December, mine is in April, and you're just happens to land on Christmas."

"So my birthday is super special."

"Yeah, it is, but not everyone who celebrates Christmas, is celebrating your birthday."

"They're not?"

"No." Lucas pulled his stool up to sit in front of her, "You see Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, who was the son of God. People celebrate his birth that day. But your Mom and I got a sweet little blessing, who decided she had to come two weeks early, when you were born on Christmas."

"So, my birthday isn't a national holiday?"

"No sweetie. Your birthday though is very special to me and your Mom, your brother, grandparents."

Hope thought for a moment, "So I was like your and Mommy's Christmas present."

"Exactly Hope." Riley told her as she and Peyton came into the kitchen.

"Yeah Hope, you're a Christmas Present." Peyton told his younger sister before he got up into his own seat. "Don't worry Mommy and Daddy will make sure you'll have a good Birthday, even though it's also Christmas."

Riley sat next to her son, gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head, "Hope, I want you to think of something you want to do for your birthday that has _nothing_ to do with Christmas okay, we'll do it."

A smirk crossed Hope's lips, "Are the Knicks in town that day?"

Riley's eyes lit up just a little, "I think so, why?"

Hope's eyes lit up, "Could we go to the game? We could even bring Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Auggie, Nana and Pappy, what do you think?"

"That's what you want for your Birthday?" Lucas was skeptical.

"Yeah, the Knicks are the best, right Pey?"

"They are, it would be super cool. We could get Hope a t-shirt that says Birthday Girl in Knicks colors."

"It is kind of a non-Christmas thing." Riley looked at her husband.

Lucas nodded, "Okay Princess, after you and Peyton write your letters to Santa, and you've gone to bed, Mommy and I will see about getting tickets."

"Yaaaaaaaay!" Hope cried out as Peyton danced in his seat.

* * *

On the morning of the twenty-fifth of December, Riley dressed her daughter in a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt they had made that said, 'Birthday Girl', just as her older brother had suggested. The Christmas presents were still under the tree, while another pile just for Hope sat on the coffee table wrapped mostly in Knicks themed paper.

Lucas had set it, so the tree glowed with blue and orange lights. On the kitchen island they set up a breakfast buffet they enjoyed with the grandparents, and Auggie.

"Daddy, this is so cool." Hope marveled at what her parents had done, that her whole family was dressed for the basketball game in blue and orange.

"Well it is your birthday." Riley reminded her as she loaded up the dishwasher, "Now go and get your coat on so we can go to the game."

"Okay Mommy!" Hope dashed off with Peyton following after her.

"You know I think this kind of worked out the best way possible." Lucas told his wife, "But, remember this is Hope's birthday, think you can keep it in check at the game."

Riley swatted him with a dishtowel, "Bite your tongue Dr. Friar, I can behave."

Lucas wrapped his arms around his wife, "If you don't we're making this a Daddy-Daughter Birthday thing next year."

Riley started to protest just before Lucas kissed her.


End file.
